FloryKnits.com  floryknits@yahoo.com

So you want to be a Master Knitter?
These are my observations and opinions.
I have served one term as a member of the committee that evaluates submissions to the Master Hand-knitting Program from The Knitting Guild Association. After reviewing about a dozen submissions some common errors seem to plague most of them.
Hope this list helps!

1. The Committee is not out to “get you” but there are basic requirements that need to be met and goals that have to be achieved. Think about knitters in the Middle Ages and what they had to endure to become Master Knitters; this program is not hard, it’s time consuming.
2. Getting angry with the reviewers because they found fault with your knitting is silly. That is their job and they do not find faults to be mean. If something is not done correctly it is their obligation to let you know so that you can correct it.
3. If you have reservations about your knitting abilities or feel that a less intensive program would be better for you, TKGA offers the Hand Knitting Basics, Basics, Basics by Barbara Scott correspondence course.
4. Repeating the same mistakes level after level speaks poorly of the knitter’s desire to improve her skills. The committee will request that you re-do faulty work so, pay attention to the corrections and adopt them as part of your knitting.
5. Being a Master Knitter is not a right but a privilege. With the exceptions of the Level 2 Vest and the Level 3 Hat & Sweater, you are making all these swatches for the love of knitting and a desire to improve your craft, not to end up with useful, knitted items.
6. Make a working copy of the instructions. The committee does not want to know, or guess, what you were eating while reading and/or working on your submission.
7. Read the instructions thoroughly and make sure they are current; all you need to know is there.
8. Gather your materials and resources and take it one-step-at-a-time.
9. Wool and wool blends work the best for the swatches and show detail well.
10. Light yarn is pastels, beige, white and such; medium color yarns are sometimes too dark. Navy, brown, gray are not light colors. If they can not evaluate a swatch you will have to do it again. These swatches are a learning tool not the pieces for a future afghan. Heathered, speckled, fuzzy yarns are not a good choice either.
11. Do not block your swatches with heat, not even steam, chances are you will “kill” them. It is best to wet them, pin them and let them dry naturally. Over blocked swatches will probably have to be knit again.
12. Make sure your swatches are clean and have no odors; particularly cigarette, pet smell and/or hair.
13. Make the swatches as per the instructions, no variations allowed.
14. Textured swatches (cables, ribbing, Bavarian Twisted Stitches, Herringbone, Entrelac, among others) should be springy and have dimension. Flattening them by over blocking is not a good idea.
15. All your swatches should be accompanied by a sheet that contains the following information:

Swatch #____ - Swatch Name
Resource: title of book, page#
(If the instructions are given you can write “as per Level # instructions page “X”)
Materials: yarn name, type and composition
Needle(s) Size(s): US____, ____mm
Gauge: “x” stitches per inch over pattern stitch
             TAKE TIME TO SAVE TIME, KNIT A SWATCH
Instructions to knit the swatch “as knitted“:

The instructions should be so that someone can knit a swatch identical to yours. Since needle sizes are not uniform, make sure to state the US and its equivalent mm size. Look at commercial instructions if you get stuck. This is an exercise in instruction writing; you want to be able to write a set of instructions that a total stranger can follow with no problems.
16. The edges of your swatches should be nice and even. The stitches should be even in front and back of the swatch. If you have problems achieving even tension use a smaller size needle on the wrong side row.
17. Make sure the tag is on the correct corner; upper left hand.
18. Some of the swatches require a one inch border. Measure with a metal, or plastic, ruler and be sure to have an inch not ½ inch, not ¾ inch. It’s better to be a row long than two rows short. Fabric rulers stretch over time.
19. Weave in all ends.
20. Proof read, check for spelling mistakes. After you finish typing, let it sit for a bit and then read it again. Better yet, have someone else read it to make sure it makes sense.
21. Make sure that all parts of a question are answered.
22. When answering questions, do research even when you know the answer. Saying “this is the way I have always done this” is not a valid resource. It is better if every single answer has a resource attached. Who knows, you may learn that your way was not right or the only way.
23. Make sure to give complete answers.
24. The dreaded argyle sock should be a full size sock in light, contrasting colors. It’s a sock with a design, nothing else. You knit one and send it in. There are step by step instructions at Socknitters.com; simpler chart.
25. The Fair Isle swatch should be in light, contrasting colors. Making it in gray, black and hunter green is a very bad idea; it’s a blur.
26. When preparing instructions for the vest, in level 2, the hat and sweater, in level 3, make sure that all the necessary information is there. Look at commercial patterns and use them as a guide as to how to format your pattern. It is a good idea to pretend that you are writing a pattern for a magazine. The pattern you submit has to be of a quality that a total stranger could follow it.
27. If you use a commercial pattern for the Level 2 Vest, the Level 3 Hat and/or Sweater, include the book or magazine with your submission.
28. If you use a commercial pattern and modify it, you still need to write out a pattern for the item “as knitted” and include the original source. You have to suppose that the person knitting the item does not have access to the magazine/book where you obtained the original pattern.
29. When writing the magazine and book reviews please remember that pretty pictures do not make a magazine/book good. Look at commercial sources and how they format their reviews. You have to communicate what is it about this book or magazine that makes it indispensable; why should it be part of everyone’s library; why should one subscribe; pay sinful amounts of money for it on eBay®.
30. The reports should be well researched and cover all aspects of the subject matter. This is your opportunity to accumulate knowledge that will impress fellow knitters and Trivial Pursuit players. More than two sources are ideal. Make sure to proof read them and that they make sense. Big letters and wide margins fool no-one.
31. Most people type their submissions on their computer which brings me to charts and graphs for the patterns. With a bit of imagination, patience and a spreadsheet program any chart or graph can be written up and cut & paste to a word processing document. At Aire River Design, there is a set of fonts that can be used to type knitting symbols into a spreadsheet or database grid. If you are not this geeky, print the chart/graph and paste it to your text by hand. Then you can photocopy the whole mess and it will look just fine.
32. Make sure to include a key for any chart you used; symbols with their corresponding meaning.
33. Make sure all abbreviations are explained.
34. Include a Bibliography or Resources List with your packet, you may need it later.  Besides, it makes the binder look more complete.
35. Put all your pages in page protectors so that they can be read without pulling them out and the whole mess into a binder.
36. Swatches do not belong in the same pocket as questions.
37. It is a good idea to make an index and organize the binder like a book. Who knows, you may end up working in the Committee and will need your submissions as guides when making evaluations.